University of San Francisco Top Questions

the surrounding environment is very important. Also, you must be very open-minded

Students - Go where you want to and study what you want. The drive that you have for your education will make all the difference. Parents - Learn to let go.

Know what you want in the college you end up attending. Make a list and decide the most important criteria you have then apply to the colleges that best fit. Once you get to college make sure you do well in your classes, but have fun in your free time. There is no sense in paying for college if you are not going to actually do college. However, don't forget to have fun. Take chances and be open. Don't go home all the time, and live in the dorms. Apply to lots of scholarships. Get a job that you enjoy. If you have the chance take classes that sound interesting, especially if they also count towards the credits you need. Try to be healthy and safe. Make sure you stay on track if you are going to be applying to graduate school.

Pick a place that will make you happy, even if you are far from home you should feel like you'd want to go back. It doesn't matter where your friends go because making new friends is all part of the experience, I'v met some of my best friends here. Make sure that the college you pick has activities that you can see yourself participating in, if it doesn't it may not be as fun as you thought and that can be a real let down.

Do not borrow money/take out loans when chosing a college. Chose only from colleges in your affordability range.

When you are applying for colleges, do not fall on the conception that you have to go to a major university of ivy league. Look into what school has the best program for your major, and let that be a big factor instead of seeing what school is top on the list now. If you are not sure what you want your major to be, look into other aspects like their programs. If you are interested in a particular sport or activity, see if that school is big in it. If you are looking to go to a school with a certain religious or cultural belief, look into which school has that. Always have more than one choice in case of unfortunate situations in which you do not get in. Don?t be discouraged, be positive that another door has opened for you and make the best out of it. Once you are in that school, be involved in a variety of things so you meet different people and have experiences you can carry with you for the rest of your life. Although grades and classes should be on top of the list, memorable college experiences are right after.

Try to find out what learning environment works best for you -- don't worry about the prestige of a school or where your friends are going. Instead, go to the place that academically suits you and the rest will follow. Good grades, valuable internship opportunities, etc. are much more important in applying for graduate school and employment than just the name of the school you went to. If you go somewhere you can't learn, you won't succeed. Stick to what you know works for you. A great way to figure out if a school is right for you is to visit it, and maybe even shadow someone overnight so you can get the full experience of campus life. Go to classes on campus, eat the food, check out the dorms, meet a professor or two, etc. before deciding to go to a school. Making the wrong choice and having to transfer is no fun, and if I had been given this advice I would not have gone through the trouble of going to a school for its prestige rather than its ability to cater to my learning style.

A college counselore is extremeley helpful in finding the right college. The counselor will be able to help the student evaluate their learning needs and find the right size college. It is important for the student to be honest to both their parents and counselor about what he or she wants from a college. Even if the student wants a "fun" school, he or she should tell his advisors exactly what he or she wants. Then the student must completely research the schools he is interested in. Parents can help their kids do this by having a sit down to go over college pamphlets with their child. After the applying to at least 3 or 4 colleges that the student has researched, he or she should prepare for college in the following ways. In order to make the most of college as a freshman, the student must be willing to experience new things, meet new people, and be open to whatever life throws at him. Finding an on campus or off campus job is a helpful socializing aspect of college. The student must realize it is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity, and freshman year will fly by really quickly.

Selecting the college of your choice often feels like a leap of faith; it is a decision which dictates your future fours years, and the career you may embody for the rest of your life -- to say nonetheless, it is a decision which may appear incredibly looming to a high school senior. It would be an understatement to say that this decision is small. This is why selecting a 4-year institution is integral for the student to make, thinking only of the benefactors for his or herself personally. Every student learns and thrives differently in very different environments, that is why "following the crowd" is something which should be avoided at all costs. Selecting a college or university is a decision a student must make keeping only their personal experiences in mind, as well as their ambitious goals for the future, and applying these factors to where they believe they will flourish to their fullest extent.

Be sure to visit all colleges you are considering. Sit in on a class and stay with a student over the weekend to get the true experience.